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Dear Subscriber,
My wife, Alison, is a member of the best twins
community on the web, www.TwinStuff.com. She
recently showed me a message board thread on
TwinStuff where one of the moms was talking
about the ecological impact of all the household
chemicals that were washed out into the
environment as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
Concerned about this situation, the lady asked if
anyone knew some simple ways for each of us to
run our households in a more environmentally-
friendly way. Nothing huge like making your own
windmill for electricity or raising your own cow
in the back yard for organic milk, just easy
things that anyone can do.
It occurred to me that the recipients of our
"Live and Learn" newsletter would like to hear
about some of these great, easy-to-do ideas as
well, so I compiled a list to share with you.
10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR FAMILY MORE ECO-FRIENDLY
1) Use All-Natural Cleaning Agents -- Alison
makes our own glass cleaner using vinegar and
water, our own disinfectant using lavender oil (a
natural disinfectant) and water, and buys a non-
toxic all-purpose cleaner from the store. Not
only is this environmentally friendly, but it is
also safer for your children. We of course keep
our cleaners locked up, but just in case our
daughters got ahold of them somehow, we feel
better knowing that it wouldn't be a disaster.
2) Use Glass Containers For Storage Instead Of
Plastic. Plastic companies are some of the worst
polluters and create the most toxic chemicals
known to man. Also, plastics leach when heated,
so if you heat food up inside a plastic
container, you are guaranteed to be eating some
plastic along with your food. For many commonly-
used plastics there are no proven detrimental
health effects due to this, but personally I'd
rather not put that into my child's body or my
own.
3) Do Not Use Pesticides. By definition,
something that is designed to kill an animal is
toxic. If the label says "non-toxic," that only
means for humans (and I wouldn't trust that
assumption either). There are lots of innovative
and effective ways to safely take care of pests
these days, so don't settle for the old "spray
everything" solution.
4) Use Fluorescent Light Bulbs. Replace the
light bulbs in the 4 most commonly used rooms in
your home with fluorescent bulbs, and you will be
conserving both electricity and money. In
addition, you will be decreasing the number of
light bulbs being dumped in land fills.
5) Use Cloth Diapers. As I wrote in the last
edition of "Live and Learn," one of the worst
polluters on Earth is the disposable diaper. If
you have a little one who is still in diapers,
the single best thing you can do for the planet
is switch to Cloth. To hear more about this, go
to http://nossgalenbaby.com/09_15_05.html.
6) Buy Previously-Owned Clothing And Toys. Many
of the chemicals and materials used in the
manufacture of clothing and toys are dangerous
for our environment. The fewer new products you
buy, the fewer new products they'll make.
President Bush won't be happy that I'm suggesting
a reduction in "consumer spending," but
seriously, your children do not know the
difference between a new toy or an old toy. They
aren't too concerned about wearing the latest
fashions from Gap Kids, either. So do your
wallet and the world a favor; the economy will
still be ok.
7) Reduce Your Junk Mail. Add your name to the
Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference
list and cut your share of mailbox trash by up to
80 percent for free. Just send a card with your
name, address, and signature to the Mail
Preference Service, DMA, Box 643, Carmel, NY
10512. If you get as much junk mail as we do,
you could save a whole forest just by doing this.
8) Microwave Your Sponges. Nuke your sponge on
high for one minute every day and you have a
clean, reusable, bacteria-free method of
cleaning. (Rinse and wring the sponge out before
nuking though).
9) Don't Use Antibacterial Soaps. In the decades
to come, one of the biggest health crises we will
face are highly-evolved versions of common and
easily-treatable bacterial infections that have
become resistant to antibiotics due to over-use.
Every time you wash your hands with antibacterial
soap, you are contributing this looming problem.
In addition, if your children are not exposed to
common bacteria when they are growing up, they
will not form an immunity to them, thereby
leaving them vulnerable to bacteria that wouldn't
have affected the people of our generation. Ever
wonder why the people in Mexico don't get sick
from drinking the water but American tourists can
fall over dead from it? Same deal.
And finally...
10) Stay On The Outside Walls Of The Grocery
Store. The healthier foods, such as the meats,
fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc are almost
always on the outside walls of the store. If you
wander into the interior aisles, you will be in
the realm of packaged, processed, dietary
disasters. The more unpronounceable ingredients
something has, the more harmful it is for you and
for the environment. So use this simple rule to
keep your stomach on the straight-and-narrow.
If you have any questions or comments on the
above tips, please feel free to email me at
paul@nossgalenbaby.com.
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Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Paul
Paul & Alison Martin
Noss Galen Baby LLC
www.NossGalenBaby.com
Copyright, Noss Galen Baby LLC 2005
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